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HIPTHER Community Voices: Interview with Dr. Maria Loumpourdi, founder and Managing Director of Made From Within
Reading Time: 7 minutes
In this interview, we speak with Dr. Maria Loumpourdi, founder and Managing Director of Made From Within, a CPD-accredited leadership development provider. She shares her journey into leadership and coaching, the philosophy behind her work, and how evidence-based development can drive real change—particularly in high-growth sectors like iGaming.
What originally sparked your interest in leadership development and coaching? Was there a defining moment that set you on this path?
The spark started very early. As a kid, I was always very curious and loved learning, but more than that, I loved sharing what I learned. I even remember trying to memorise a 24-volume encyclopaedia just so I could drop interesting facts into conversations. Looking back, that passion for learning and helping others grow was always there.
When it came time to choose a university path, education felt like the natural choice. I loved it (and still do), but I quickly started to feel uneasy about how rigid the school system is. More often than not, we teach what’s prescribed, not necessarily what kids want or need to learn. That made me think more seriously about adult education, where people have more agency in their development and are often more personally invested.
That decision led me to corporate learning and development. I started in the Learning & Development department of an iGaming company, and within a year, I moved into a leadership role heading L&D in the manufacturing sector. That role gave me hands-on experience in managing teams and developing as a leader myself. By that time, I had already completed a master’s in educational leadership and had been accepted into a doctoral programme. At that point, I already knew my research would focus on leadership development.
Another key realisation came when I started developing leaders. I began to see that while training is a necessary first step, it cannot, on its own, lead to lasting behavioural change. That’s when I realised coaching was the missing piece; it’s what helps people truly internalise and apply what they’ve learned. I became an accredited coach and eventually a coaching supervisor (a coach of coaches), and that shifted how I approached development.
Everything came together when I completed my doctorate and published my book, Leaders Made From Within. That was an important moment for me because it also marked the launch of my company, Made from Within. It was the point where everything aligned: my love for learning, leadership, developing others, and the belief that real change (whether individual or organisational) comes from within.
Made From Within is CPD-accredited and globally active. What inspired you to start it, and what impact are you most proud of so far?
Made From Within wasn’t a business idea; it was the result of over a decade of real-world experience, empirical research, and a deep understanding of what works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to leadership and organisational development. I spent many years building my expertise, holding senior roles in international organisations, and seeing firsthand what drives real performance and sustainable business growth. Just as importantly, I saw the common patterns that hold people and businesses back. Many of the lessons I learned (both the successes and the hard-won mistakes) shaped the foundation of Made From Within.
I started Made From Within because I wanted to offer something practical, evidence-based, and rooted in real experience; instead of unsupported theories, popular opinions, or trends. The leadership and personal development space is currently crowded, and I was very intentional about two things: 1. making sure that my background clearly shows I am not another self-proclaimed guru on social media, and 2. ensuring this wasn’t just another one-size-fits-all offering. At Made From Within, we don’t do off-the-shelf. We work closely with clients to understand their goals, context, and challenges, then build tailored solutions that reflect their reality. We’ve also developed CPD-accredited programmes for individuals and teams who want to grow in a structured and credible way.
What I’m most proud of is how much we’ve achieved in such a short time. Made From Within has already supported leaders and teams across organisations and industries, enabling behavioural and organisational change. We’re now expanding access by offering our accredited courses directly through our website, which allows more people to develop themselves on their own terms, and at their own pace.
Your career spans several industries—from banking and manufacturing to iGaming. What pivotal experiences have shaped your leadership philosophy?
While some leadership challenges (like earning trust, managing conflict, or leading through change) are universal, I’ve found that every industry comes with its own unspoken rules and unique pressures. The culture portrayed on the company website is rarely (if ever) the full picture. Experiencing these differences first-hand has taught me that effective leadership isn’t about following one fixed approach. It’s about learning when to listen, when to challenge, and how to earn credibility in novel environments.
One of the experiences that shaped my approach happened in my very first week as a department head in the manufacturing sector. I was asked to represent the function in a customer audit, even though I had just stepped into the role and barely had any exposure to the industry or the company. During the audit, the client questioned how certain KPIs were calculated. I hadn’t prepared the presentation and didn’t have the answer. It would’ve been easy (and probably expected) to say, “I’m new”, or shift the blame to the person who created it. But I saw it as an opportunity to lead.
I admitted I didn’t have the answer at that moment and promised to come back with it by the end of the day. When I approached the team member who had prepared the figures, they told me they couldn’t remember. This person was already on their way out of the company, having previously received feedback that they weren’t ready for the role I had stepped into. Still, I didn’t point fingers. I worked with the team to find the answer, verified the data, and returned to the client with a clear explanation. We earned the client’s trust, salvaged the audit, and celebrated with the team despite the initial mistake.
That experience grounded one of the core principles of my leadership philosophy: when you lead, you take ownership. You don’t blame others, you don’t throw people under the bus, and you don’t step back when things go wrong. If you’re in a leadership role, you take responsibility and step up even when it’s not directly your fault. That’s the kind of leader I’ve worked to be across every industry I’ve been part of.
In iGaming, rapid growth often outpaces structured development. How can coaching help companies build stronger leadership pipelines during periods of scale?
In iGaming, growth often happens so quickly that people find themselves in leadership roles before they’ve had the time (or the opportunity) to develop the skills or confidence to lead. Coaching helps bridge that gap. It provides a safe space for new and emerging leaders to speak openly about their challenges, reflect on their behaviours, set development goals for themselves and their teams, and work toward those goals with a coach acting as both a thinking partner and an accountability partner.
It’s just as valuable for senior leaders. Coaching can help them build executive presence and avoid slipping into autopilot decision-making, which, in a fast-paced environment like iGaming, can have serious long-term consequences for both individuals and the business.
I’ve seen the impact of coaching firsthand. I’ve worked with people who were on performance improvement plans (essentially on their way out), and within six months, they were promoted into leadership roles. What changed? Their mindset, their behaviour, how they communicated, how they built relationships, and how they demonstrated their competence. Coaching made that shift possible.
Coaching meets people where they are, which is exactly what’s needed during periods of rapid scale. Especially in iGaming, where employee turnover often reaches or exceeds 30% (meaning one in three employees leave each year) offering coaching, even as a smaller operator or supplier, can be the difference between losing talent (often to competitors) and building a strong leadership pipeline.
What advice would you give to iGaming companies looking to invest in leadership development for the first time? Where should they start?
My key piece of advice is this: don’t buy off-the-shelf leadership development programmes. Every year, over $360 billion is invested on leadership development globally, but only 10–20% of that has a measurable return on investment. The reason? Most programmes aren’t tailored to the actual needs of the business and its leaders.
If you want real impact, you need to start with a proper analysis of your organisation’s current leadership needs and challenges. Get clear on what effective leadership looks like in your organisation, involve senior leadership teams from the beginning, and design a programme that fits; not just something that looks good on paper. When done right, tailored programmes can achieve up to 10x the ROI.
In my book Leaders Made From Within: The Blueprint for Developing Leadership in Individuals and Organisations, I share the 5D Leadership Development Process (Define, Design, Deliver, Deploy, and Debrief), a model grounded in my doctoral research. It’s a practical, evidence-based process to building leadership capability, and it’s especially relevant for high-growth sectors like iGaming.
What skills or leadership traits are most important for success in iGaming—and how can coaching help develop them?
Success in iGaming requires a combination of leadership skills due to the industry’s fast pace, volatility, and competitiveness. In my experience developing talent in this industry, some of the most critical skills include:
- Self-awareness and self-regulation: Leaders need to manage themselves under pressure and stay grounded. Coaching supports this by helping individuals recognise patterns, triggers, and habits; and understand how these affect their performance and relationships in a structured way.
- Building relationships and networks: In a fast-moving and relatively young industry, strong cross-functional collaboration is essential. Coaching helps leaders improve their communication, influencing, and trust-building skills, especially when leading international teams where alignment is harder to achieve.
- Creativity and innovation: iGaming leaders often face ambiguous situations without a clear playbook. Coaching provides space to step back, think differently, challenge assumptions, and explore new solutions, which is something daily operations rarely allow time for.
- Decision-making: Rapid scaling requires leaders who can make informed, timely decisions without having all the answers. Coaching helps leaders gain clarity, improve their judgment, overcome indecision, and build confidence in high-stakes or complex situations.
- Business acumen: Leaders need a broader understanding of how the business operates, not just within their own function. Coaching encourages a more strategic mindset by connecting day-to-day decisions to long-term business outcomes. For example, a commercial leader should understand product development, and vice versa. Everyone needs at least a baseline understanding of the financial and regulatory side of the business.
In short, coaching develops these skills not through theory, but through structured reflection, real-world application, accountability, and feedback.
The post HIPTHER Community Voices: Interview with Dr. Maria Loumpourdi, founder and Managing Director of Made From Within appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
- The 2025 PUBG MOBILE Global Championship (PMGC) Group Stage concluded yesterday, with six teams qualifying for the Grand Finals after an intense run of clashes
- Alpha Gaming dominated in Group Green, while DRX were at the top of the leaderboard for Group Red
- Sixteen teams from the Group Stage will now battle their way through the Last Chance Stage, where they’ll fight to secure a coveted spot in the Grand Finals
- With three slots left for the Grand Finals in Bangkok, time is running out for the remaining teams to vie for a share of the $3M prize pool
The Group Stage of the 2025 PUBG MOBILE Global Championship (PMGC) has come to a thrilling close, following six days of high-stakes competition. The top three teams from Group Green and Group Red have earned a one-way ticket to the Grand Finals, whilst the remaining 16 teams that ranked 4th – 11th from both groups are set to contend in the Last Chance Stage taking place from December 6th – 7th, in a final push for survival. With $3,000,000 up for grabs, the winning team at the Grand Finals in Bangkok will claim the lion’s share of the prize pool, along with the coveted title, making every match a battle for glory.
Day one of the Group Stage began with Group Green, kicking off with Inner Circle Esports making a strong statement with an early chicken dinner and an incredible 18 eliminations, setting the pace for the group. Day two saw continued strong performances from Alpha Gaming, Alter Ego, and Team GOAT, taking the top three spots respectively. On day three, Alpha Gaming demonstrated consistency throughout the day, with a 12-elimination victory providing a solid boost, allowing them to end the day in the top spot with 174 points. At the end of the Group Green matches, Alpha Gaming, Dplus, and Team GOAT secured their spot to advance directly to the Grand Finals, leaving the mid-pack teams to fight for survival in the Last Chance Stage.
Group Red matched the intensity, delivering three days of high-stakes matches and tactical play. Day one began with EArena from Thailand taking an early win with 65 points and one Chicken Dinner, signaling their intent to remain top of the rank. Day two featured unexpected twists, with Regnum Carya and Team Flash executing key plays to climb the leaderboard. Maintaining their status, South Korea’s DRX locked in a top-three finish on day three with five Chicken Dinners, joined by Regnum Carya and EArena, clinching direct passage to the Grand Finals.
The Last Chance stage of the 2025 PMGC will see 16 teams, made up of those that placed 4th – 11th from both groups of the Group Stage, go head-to-head in twelve points-based matches over two days. The top two teams in the final standings will secure the remaining slots in the Grand Finals, while the other 14 teams will be eliminated from the tournament. Every match will put everything on the line as teams battle for a final shot to contend in the most prestigious PUBG MOBILE Esports tournament of the year.
Teams heading to the Last Chance Stage:
- Team Flash
- Weibo Gaming
- Influence Rage
- Arcred
- Burmese Ghouls
- Alliance
- Geekay Esports
- Boars Gaming
- Wolves Esports
- Inner Circle
- Team Gen G
- Loops Esports
- Alter Ego
- Team Falcons
- Papara Supermassive
- Team 9ZG
2025 PMGC Key Dates
- PMGC Last Chance (December 6th – 7th)
- PMGC Grand Finals (December 12th – 14th)
As the pinnacle of the competitive season, the 2025 PMGC in Bangkok stands as the ultimate proving ground for the world’s top PUBG MOBILE Esports teams. This year marks a new chapter for the scene, uniting the 2025 PMGC with the 2025 PUBG Global Championship (PGC) under the groundbreaking banner of PUBG UNITED 2025. By ending the year with its most prestigious event, PUBG MOBILE Esports not only celebrates the year’s finest talent, but also sets a forward-looking momentum that will shape the competitive landscape of the year ahead.
For more information on the 2025 PMGC, fans can keep up to date on PUBG MOBILE Esports’ YouTube, Facebook and Twitch channels. For more PUBG MOBILE Esports news, stay tuned on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, and TikTok.
The post THE 2025 PUBG MOBILE GLOBAL CHAMPIONSHIP GROUP STAGE WRAPS UP WITH LAST CHANCE IN SIGHT appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
PayRamnt-weight: 400;”> has launched its private stablecoin payment gateway for iGaming operators, gaming platforms, and affiliates that require fast, borderless, and censorship-resistant payments.
Built on the belief that payments should operate as freely as the internet itself, PayRam delivers decentralized PayFi infrastructure that allows iGaming businesses to accept and manage stablecoin payments through fully self-hosted infrastructure. Operators no longer rely on banks, custodians, or centralized processors to control their revenue.
In an industry plagued by frozen balances, chargebacks, delayed settlements, and compliance shutdowns, PayRam gives operators direct control over funds, payouts, and transaction infrastructure. Platforms retain ownership of their payment flow without platform risk. Operators can now accept private stablecoin deposits, launch without intermediaries, and expand globally on their own terms.
Stablecoins Are the Future of Global iGaming Payments
Stablecoins now drive the most significant transformation in payments in decades. With a market capitalization exceeding $300 billion, stablecoins now function as real-world settlement infrastructure rather than speculative assets. For iGaming businesses that operate across borders, stablecoins deliver instant payouts, low transaction costs, and continuous global liquidity.
Governments also continue to formalize regulatory frameworks. Initiatives such as the GENIUS Bill in the United States signal that stablecoins will soon function as foundational financial infrastructure for both traditional commerce and emerging agent-driven economies.
Yet most existing stablecoin fiat gateways still copy legacy banking structures. They custodian funds, over-monitor transactions, delay settlements, and restrict high-risk industries such as iGaming. Operators continue to face frozen balances, withheld profits, and sudden account closures.
Instead of decentralizing commerce, centralized processors reintroduce single points of failure. They strip merchants of privacy, predictability, and true ownership of funds.
PayRam removes these bottlenecks by allowing iGaming operators to deploy and operate their own self-hosted stablecoin payment nodes. This sovereign infrastructure restores payment autonomy, protects funds from blacklisting, enables private deposits, and eliminates third-party revenue risk.
Permissionless Commerce Underpinned By Privacy
PayRam embodies a mission to decentralize the global payments ecosystem. Its founder, Siddharth Menon, who previously co-founded WazirX, India’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, helped bring crypto to more than 15 million users. Today, he’s channeling that experience into building a decentralized PayFi layer engineered for privacy, autonomy, and self-custody.
“The future of payments is decentralized stablecoin payments. As the world moves beyond custodial systems, PayRam is building the foundation for permissionless commerce, where every merchant, creator, or platform can host and own their own payment infrastructure,” said Siddharth Menon, Founder of PayRam. “Just as Uniswap reimagined trading through decentralization, PayRam is reimagining how money moves across the internet.”
iGaming Operators Go Live in Minutes and Expand Into Underserved Regions
PayRam removes all onboarding friction. Operators need no approvals, no vetting, and no centralized onboarding process. Any business can deploy PayRam, configure it, and begin processing private stablecoin payments within 10 minutes.
This instant deployment allows operators to enter underserved and payment-restricted regions, unlock new player bases, and launch real-money gaming operations without waiting on banks, payment processors, or jurisdictional approvals.
PayRam is built as a merchant-first ecosystem, offering advanced accounting analytics, scalable APIs, and automated payments orchestration tools. It also arrives with integrated growth tools like referral and payout systems. Merchants and individuals can issue payment requests, share unique payment links, and monitor transactions through programmable APIs, all operated on infrastructure that users self-host and fully control. The built-in SmartSweep feature uses a family of smart contracts to move funds securely and periodically, eliminating the need to store private keys on servers.
PayRam supports stablecoin and cryptocurrency payments across major networks including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Base, and Tron, with integrations for Polygon, BNB Smart Chain, Solana, Ripple, Monero, and TON next in line.
“We’ve used several crypto payment providers over the years, including BTCPay Server, NOWPayments, and others, but PayRam stands out as truly open and built for the modern internet economy. It gives us full control over our payments and funds, along with stablecoin support, privacy, multi-chain flexibility, and faster global settlements,” said an iGaming operator using PayRam.
PayRam Prepares to Support Agentic Betting With Privacy and Automation
Agentic betting represents the next evolution of iGaming, where autonomous software agents will place bets, execute strategies, manage bankrolls, and settle wagers in real time without human intervention. These systems already power algorithmic trading in financial markets, and iGaming infrastructure now begins to move in the same direction.
Most existing betting and payment infrastructure cannot support this shift. Centralized processors expose transaction logic, restrict automated flows, and introduce settlement delays that break agent-driven wagering models at scale.
PayRam is actively adopting the foundational standards and infrastructure required to support agentic betting in the future. The platform is positioning itself as a privacy-first, decentralized payment layer that will allow autonomous betting systems to operate with:
- Private stablecoin deposits
- Real-time settlement logic
- Automated treasury and bankroll flows
- Programmable payout execution
- Full self-custody and non-custodial risk isolation
By preparing to adopt open standards such as x402 and ERC-8004, PayRam aims to support interoperable and intelligent payment flows between autonomous betting systems, sportsbooks, and gaming platforms when the agentic wagering ecosystem reaches production maturity.
Through this approach, PayRam is building the foundation for a future where payments are private, programmable, and permissionless.
About PayRam
PayRam is the world’s first self-hosted private stablecoin processor, giving merchants and individuals complete control over their payments stack. Built for the next era of permissionless commerce, it merges stablecoin payments with self-hosted infrastructure to enable borderless, censorship-resistant transactions.
Reading Time: 5 minutes
Here are this weeks latest slots releases compiled by European Gaming
BGaming gets in the festive spirit with a Christmas take on its acclaimed casual hit, Aviamasters, with Aviamasters X-Mas. Santa and his sleigh replace the plane from the original title, with players watching as he flies through the air, collecting festive multipliers before hopefully landing on an ice floe to collect his prizes.
Stakelogic is spreading festive cheer this December with the release of Big Sugar Bonanza Xmas, a delicious sequel of the candy-coated hit, Big Sugar Bonanza. Launching on 1st December 2025, the new game transforms the Fluffkins’ sugary kingdom into a winter wonderland of treats and turbo-charged multipliers.
Million Games is bringing festive mayhem to the iGaming world with the launch of Rudolph’s Gone Rogue, a fast-paced Christmas slot where Santa’s most famous reindeer takes centre stage in a runaway holiday adventure. In this 5×3, 20-payline slot, Rudolph bolts into the night sky, dragging the rest of the herd with him and leaving a trail of chaos in his wake.
Spinomenal has unwrapped its new title Majestic Santa, signalling the start of the festive season. Spinomenal’s festive-inspired treat is a 5×3 slot that is bursting with Christmas imagery including red stockings, gingerbread men, and glistening golden bells.
Evoplay has launched Mega Greatest Catch: Blue Marlin, bringing the fearless fisherman Harry back to sea for his most exciting adventure yet. The latest instalment transports players to bright turquoise waters, where random scatters can trigger free spins, wilds appear unexpectedly, and the scatter respin feature offers a welcome second chance to enter the round.
Looking to unwrap longer sessions, stronger engagement and bigger revenues this Christmas? ICONIC21, in-demand iGaming content provider, just launched Sweet Royale Xmas ahead of the holiday season. Sweet Royale is one of the provider’s most popular slots to date and now returns in a Christmas edition decked with boughs of candy to allow operators to leverage the rise in slotting activity during the festive period.
Meet Nolimit City’s latest Crazy Ex-Girlfriend…the kind ex who would “accidentally” like your 2014 selfie at 3am and has a little voodoo doll named after you. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has mapped out your every move and runs through a 2-4-4-4-4-2 layout across 6 reels.
It’s the most magical time of the year, but don’t expect a peaceful Christmas with the release of Realistic Games’ latest blockbuster slot, Wreckmas. The new 5×3, feature-packed slot brings toppled trees, tangled tinsel and chaotic carols to a family Christmas, along with the chance to hit a 5,000x max win.
Players can jingle their way to jackpot joy in Christmas MegapotsTM from Big Time Gaming. This festive slot brings Big Time Gaming’s legendary Megapots mechanic to life with seasonal sparkle, giving players the chance to unwrap Mini, Midi or Mega Jackpots with each spin.
Players are being commanded to raise the sails and brace themselves for a high seas adventure like no other in Captain WinBreaker, the latest swashbuckling slot from Northern Lights Gaming. This pirate-themed slot sees players take the helm of a ship bound for treasures and untold riches.
Amusnet has released 20 Burning Hot Buy Bonus, a sizzling twist on the classic fruit slot. Set across 5 reels and 3 lines, this game combines familiar symbols with modern mechanics for fast-paced spins, vibrant visuals and nonstop excitement.
SlotMatrix is embracing the holiday season with Santa’s Golden Christmas, a sparkling new slot packed with festive cheer, golden prizes, and heart-warming holiday magic. Set in a winter wonderland, the game brings players closer to the jolly gift-giver.
Inspired Entertainment, Inc. is thrilled to announce the exclusive launch of its brand-new, bespoke slot game, Spin O’Reely Grand Chance, in collaboration with long time partners bet365. Expanding bet365’s popular exclusive Irish-themed Spin O’Reely game series, the game will initially be available to players in the UK, Ontario, and New Jersey, with more markets to follow soon.
Play’n GO pits sun god Ra against serpent deity Apophis in Ra’s Reckoning, a mythic grid slot inspired by the celestial battles of ancient Egypt. Ra’s Reckoning brings players face to face with an age-old mythic struggle – the eternal duel between light and chaos.
Playson has unleashed a whirlwind of excitement with Tornado Power: Hold and Win, introducing a new Tornado Feature and enhanced payouts. The 3×4, 10 payline slot features immersive visuals with old-school charm, as the untamed gameplay is further enhanced by a new Tornado Feature
ELA Games announces the release of its latest title, Joker Jam, a bold visual addition to the studio’s growing portfolio of strategic yet aesthetic games. Set under the neon glow of a vibrant city, Joker Jam reimagines the classic Vegas aesthetic into a thrilling experience.
Just Slots has announced the exclusive launch of its newest title, Dynamo’s Show, available on Gamdom and Stake. A full network release will follow on 11 December 2025. This vibrant new slot transforms the classic Hold & Collect experience into a full theatrical performance
Spinomenal is celebrating the holiday season by inviting players for a festive journey with The North Star Express – Hold & Hit 3×3. Unfolding against a wintry backdrop, North Star Express arrives to present a fun, festive adventure as players race through snowy forests.
Belatra Games, the specialist online slots developer, has rolled out the red carpet to the Frozen Barrel Tavern to celebrate the festive season. Players are warmly welcomed into a cosy winter tavern that radiates holiday cheer and buzzes with Christmas chatter.
The post Week 49/2025 slot games releases appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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